Refusing meds - need help please.....

[zigandzag]

Hi - I haven't posted on here for a while recently simply as my mom is sadly plummeting downwards at an alarming rate and hence I am faced with sorting out new challenges on a daily basis.

But as always the Dementia has thrown in a new challenge that I don't know what do do about, and I'm hoping that somebody on here may be able to give me some advice.

My mom refuses to take any meds full stop so her tablets have to be put into her food covertly day and night - and that works fine as thank goodness she doesn't notice as they are small dinky tablets.

My mums slowly shuffles rather than walks now and constantly complains/cries as she says she is in pain, which the GP suspects is arthritis - both in her arms and legs.

She was prescribed painkillers by her GP - but now will not take them, so I have had to give up on those as they are too big to be given covertly.

I bought some soluble Paracetamol and Ibuprofen to put in her drinks - but she detected this and then refuses to drink, so the liquid form is out of the question too.

I have found the "normal" sized Ibuprofen/Paracetamol to be quite big and consequently fiddly to cut up and put into her food, and I know that some tablets should not be cut as it reduces their effectiveness.

Does anybody know if there are any painkillers /tablets for arthritis that can be prescribed/bought in a smaller size - small enough for her not to detect them if they were put in her food?

I am hoping in anticipation that somebody else has had this problem and can help me..... I hate to see my mom upset - but just don't know what to do if I cant get painkillers into her somehow...

Thanks
x

 

[end of my rope]

Hello

Sorry to hear of your mother's further decline.
Just an idea - have you tried mashing the meds into jam and serving toast and jam? Jam is sweet enough to disguise the taste and toast is crunchy anyway so it might work?

Best wishes

eomr

 

[jeany123]

Codiene phosphate are tiny but also very bitter, what about the liquid like adult Calpol you can get the Ibrufen liquid as well they are syrupy and might be concealed in drinks or yoghurts or puddings just a suggestion, it might work,

 

[ashleypollock]

Just tell them it is their favorite food when the aids give my greatgrandfather medicine they say it is chocolate icecream because that is his favorite thing ever

 

[rajahh]

would it be possible to have patches, then they could be put where she can't reach, these have to be changed on a regular basis, but some are 3 days in between changing.

Jeannette

 

[stillcaring]

you could just give her calpol - many elderly people don't weigh a lot more than children so the dosage might be about right too

of course that won't work if she doesn't like the taste, but lots of people do. I caught my husband taking it once when we'd run out of tablets!

 

[CollegeGirl]

Hi Z&Z - I thought I hadn't seen you around for a while. I'm so sorry to hear about your mum's decline and all the new problems that you're facing - it's just relentless, isn't it?

I was wondering if you could try buying the capsule type of paracetamol, then pull the two pieces apart and sprinkle the powder into/onto your mum's food? Warning though, the taste is very bitter so you would need something with lots of flavour or sweetness to disguise it. (I know it's bitter because in desperation with raging toothache one day a while ago, I did this and rubbed the powder on my tooth!)

Good luck with whichever method you try, I do hope that something works for you and your poor mum. Let us know how you get on xx

 

[Nebiroth]

Paracetamoll is extremely bitter so it will be hard to disguise, it would have to be small amounts in lots of very sweet foods.

Crushing tablets into food is not so much a problem due to loss of effectiveness but more because it can alter the way the drug is delivered in the body. Lots of drugs have special coatings and so on, they are designed to dissolve at a certain rate. Crushing them interferes with this and can mean you get a dose delivered much faster into the bloodstream, which translates into a higher dose. Also, some drugs can cause irriation in the stomach so they have special coating to resist dissolving there but instead dissolve further along in the digestive system.

For these reasons, always ask a doctor or phamacist before crushing or dissolving medicines into food/drink. Many are OK to do this with but some may not be.

Liquid forms are much easier to hide in food/drinks and already come witha syrup (which can be sugar but is now often artificial sweetener to make it Ok for diabetics) as most drugs are horribly bitter.

 

[lilysmybabypup]

I'm so sorry for the sad turn of events you face, zigandzag, it is a wretched time isn't it?

My dad is exactly the same, and some days he just happily accepts his tablets and swallows them with a cup of tea, and other days he spits them out or point blank refuses to open his mouth. I've also had a syrup in a syringe for his antibiotic he's currently taking, one day he took it but screamed at me it was disgusting and too sweet, the next day he took it with no problem. I asked him if he tasted ok and he said yes, it was fine. That's how erratic his temper and taste seems to be. We've crushed ones we are allowed to and placed them in a spoon of custard and he still spat it out. Every day is a gamble, the luck of the draw.

Regarding pain management, he has been prescribed paracetamol in hospital because it's thought to help in case there's unexplained pain causing behaviour problems. The syrup is bitter I believe, no idea why given they make pleasant children's ones. Perhaps the CH trick of putting the liquid into the first spoon of a sweet custard will at least get it in her followed by a second quick spoonful to kill the taste.

Why can't they just make a pleasant liquid adult version? Why must the tablets be so huge? Medication is one of the most difficult hurdles, isn't it? It's not something you can let slide because it's too hard, medication is important, so you cant adopt the "pick your battles" philosophy, which I employ. That's my survival method, if it's too hard and in the end, not that important, don't push it.

It can do you in, can't it? I hope you can find a way to solve your problem, and I also wish you well as you care for your dear mum.

Stephanie, xxx

 

[zigandzag]

Thank you ever so much for all of your good advice - again. I've printed off this email so I can go through all of your suggestions one by one and I've emailed moms GP for his suggestions too.

We've had to move moms bed downstairs now (so she is with my dad in his room now) as he is disabled. My mom is so unsteady on her feet now that we just couldn't risk her attempting to climb stairs on her own. I cried as my husband and I were moving her furniture & clothes downstairs - it was like the end of a chapter... and the beginning of another vile stage in this evil disease.

I think back to 12 months ago and cannot believe the decline in my poor mom. I thought I had more time to learn/cope/help but I was so so wrong...

I'm physically and emotionally drained.

Thanks for taking the time to reply
x

 

[lilysmybabypup]

Thank you ever so much for all of your good advice - again. I've printed off this email so I can go through all of your suggestions one by one and I've emailed moms GP for his suggestions too.

We've had to move moms bed downstairs now (so she is with my dad in his room now) as he is disabled. My mom is so unsteady on her feet now that we just couldn't risk her attempting to climb stairs on her own. I cried as my husband and I were moving her furniture & clothes downstairs - it was like the end of a chapter... and the beginning of another vile stage in this evil disease.

I think back to 12 months ago and cannot believe the decline in my poor mom. I thought I had more time to learn/cope/help but I was so so wrong...

I'm physically and emotionally drained.

Thanks for taking the time to reply
x

Yes, all the ways we adapt to the next level, and before we know it, there's another decline. I'm so sorry, honestly, because I've been where you are. Our family got together about 3 months ago and moved Mum and Dad's bedroom into the lounge room downstairs because Dad couldn't manage the stairs. Mum found it made such a difference, and then 4 weeks ago Dad had a dreadful episode of delirium and has been in hospital ever since. His walking is so limited that he can barely lift his feet enough to take a step, he can no longer feed himself, and is starting to forget to swallow food. Mum has been so unwell that we have to place Dad in care permanently. I'm struggling with it all, just like you, zigandzag. This dreadful disease works to its own timetable sadly.

I'm so sorry for you and your mum, I hope you will find the days you spend with her to be very precious, and you will find a way to overcome the emotions you're struggling with.

Stephanie, xxx

 

[HelenInBC]

I'm so sorry to read of your mum's suffering. I would like to second Jeannette's suggestion of asking the doctor for a medication that can be given with a patch applied to the skin. These are used often for people who have chronic pain and are quite effective.

Good luck with whatever you decide. I can feel your pain through your postings. Take care...